Materializing rival ground states in the barlowite family of kagome magnets: quantum spin liquid, spin ordered, and valence bond crystal states
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: The spin- $$\frac{1}{2}$$ 1 2 kagome antiferromagnet is considered an ideal host for a quantum spin liquid (QSL) ground state. We find that when the bonds of the kagome lattice are modulated with a periodic pattern, new quantum ground states emerge. Newly synthesized crystalline barlowite (Cu4(OH)6FBr) and Zn-substituted barlowite demonstrate the delicate interplay between singlet states and spin order on the spin- $$\frac{1}{2}$$ 1 2 kagome lattice. Comprehensive structural measurements demonstrate that our new variant of barlowite maintains hexagonal symmetry at low temperatures with an arrangement of distorted and undistorted kagome triangles, for which numerical simulations predict a pinwheel valence bond crystal (VBC) state instead of a QSL. The presence of interlayer spins eventually leads to an interesting pinwheel q = 0 magnetic order. Partially Zn-substituted barlowite (Cu3.44Zn0.56(OH)6FBr) has an ideal kagome lattice and shows QSL behavior, indicating a surprising robustness of the QSL against interlayer impurities. The magnetic susceptibility is similar to that of herbertsmithite, even though the Cu2+ impurities are above the percolation threshold for the interlayer lattice and they couple more strongly to the nearest kagome moment. This system is a unique playground displaying QSL, VBC, and spin order, furthering our understanding of these highly competitive quantum states.
Source: npj Quantum Materials
Authors: Rebecca W. Smaha, Wei He, Jack Mingde Jiang, Jiajia Wen, Yi-Fan Jiang, John P. Sheckelton, Charles J. Titus, Suyin Grass Wang, Yu-Sheng Chen, Simon J. Teat, Adam A. Aczel, Yang Zhao, Guangyong Xu, Jeffrey W. Lynn, Hong-Chen Jiang, Young S. Lee
Institutions: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Advanced Photon Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Advanced Light Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Center for Neutron Research, University of Maryland, College Park
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,040
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Commerce, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Office of Science, National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate, Division of Materials Research, Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems, Division of Chemistry, Basic Energy Sciences, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Awards: G102163711, G1042760156, G107546177, G1229526393, G1286236842, G1286251239, G1313983767, G1333989588, G1451874870, G1502681674, G1664757510, G1829968774, NSF's ChemMatCARS: A synchrotron X-ray national facility for chemistry and materials research at the Advanced Photon Source, G1863003419, G2039013894, G2287611682, G2371548206, G2517729222, G2521557779, G2618837358, G262532246, G262962599, G2638771445, G2795275917, G2900597812, G2911450482, G2959462655, G303061748, G3031701862, G30714459, G3075337988, G3083819904, G3448829509, G3589692066, NNCI: Stanford University - SNSF, SNF, MAF, EMF, G3967535168, G419881185, G4235786860, G426311843, G4269941704, G4279724742, G42916606, G4361631179, G4399378207, G4501827968, G4654690619, G495301720, G498139845, G5094606986, G513797252, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), G5387317844, G5570207115, G618388848, G650090426, G6550344761, G660579501, G6652958823, MRI: Acquisition of a PILATUS3 X CdTe 1M for ChemMatCARS and GSECARS at the Advanced Photon Source, G6848031779, G6918803902, G7047700447, G7283024673, G7583137537, G7813058069, G8035528278, G8286507625, G8382000481, G8536234084, G8927650245, G9001198361, G911061179, G969889393, G993149817
OpenAlex ID: W3016608261